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Brian W Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Brian W Lee.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

DEVDase detection in intact apoptotic cells using the cell permeant fluorogenic substrate, (z-DEVD)2-cresyl violet.

Using a bisubstituted caspase-3 target sequence: aspartate-glutamate-valine-aspartate, (z-DEVD)2 peptide derivative of the fluorophore, cresyl violet, we have obtained a cell permeant, fluorogenic, caspase substrate capable of detecting the site-specific presence of functionally active, caspase-3 and caspase-7 up-regulation within intact apoptotic cells. Addition of this substrate to induced and noninduced cell culture populations allows for the rapid site-specific detection of caspase up-regulation without the requirement for a wash step. We demonstrate here the use of (z-DEVD)2-cresyl violet substrate for the detection of apoptosis induction in Jurkat, THP-1, and MCF-7 cells using fluorescence microscopy and 96-well fluorescence plate reader analysis. Intracellular up-regulated DEVDase activity, which was clearly visible by fluorescence microscopy and 96-well fluorescence plate reader measurements, showed greater than 6-fold increases in fluorescence output in induced versus noninduced Jurkat cell samples. A simple fluorogenic substrate conversion method is demonstrated here for detecting apoptosis induction within intact living cells.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2002

Kinetics of HL-60 cell entry to apoptosis during treatment with TNF-alpha or camptothecin assayed by the stathmo-apoptosis method.

BACKGROUND: Duration of apoptosis, from onset to final disintegration of the cell, is often short and variable. The apoptotic index (AI), as a snapshot of a transient event of variable length, does not truly represent incidence of apoptosis in the studied cell population. We recently proposed to estimate the cumulative apoptotic index (CAI) by inducing stathmo-apoptosis. A fluorescent inhibitor of caspases (FLICA) FAM-VAD-FMK is used to arrest the process of apoptosis and thereby prevent cell disintegration. Simultaneously, the arrested/apoptotic cells become FLICA-labeled. In the present study, this approach was applied to measure kinetics of HL-60 cell entrance into apoptosis induced via cell surface death receptor or a mitochondria-initiated pathway. Materials and Methods Cultures of HL-60 cells were treated with either TNF-alpha or camptothecin (CPT) in the absence or constant presence of 10-50 microM FLICA. The CAI was measured at different time points for up to 48 h by flow cytometry. Bivariate analysis of DNA content and cell labeling with FLICA was used to correlate apoptosis with the cell-cycle position. RESULTS: Selective loss of apoptotic cells seen in HL-60 cell cultures exposed to either TNF-alpha or CPT alone was prevented in cultures containing FLICA. Addition of FLICA alone had no effect on cell viability. The percentage of FLICA-labeled cells was plotted as a function of time after addition of TNF-alpha or CPT. The rate of cell entry to apoptosis was subsequently estimated from the slopes of the stathmo-apoptotic plot. The slopes revealed that the TNF-alpha or CPT-treated cells asynchronously underwent apoptosis with a stochastic-like kinetics and at two different rates. About 50% of cells in the TNF-alpha-treated cultures underwent apoptosis during the initial 6 h at a rate of approximately 8% of cells per hour; the remaining cells were undergoing apoptosis at a rate of approximately 2.5% of cells per hour for up to 24 h. Also, about 50% of the CPT-treated cells, predominantly those in S phase of the cell cycle, underwent apoptosis within the initial 8 h of CPT exposure, at a rate of approximately 7% of cells per hour. Remaining cells were undergoing apoptosis at a rate of approximately 1% of cells per hour during up to 48 h exposure to CPT. Spontaneous apoptosis in the untreated cultures occurred at a rate of 0.2% of cells per hour. CONCLUSIONS: This approach provides a means for measuring the kinetics of cell entrance to apoptosis (caspase activation) in large populations of cells in relation to the cell-cycle position.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2002

Activation of chymotrypsin-like serine protease(s) during apoptosis detected by affinity-labeling of the enzymatic center with fluoresceinated inhibitor.

There is evidence in the literature that serine (Ser) proteases, like caspases, are activated during apoptosis. Little is known, however, about individual Ser proteases and the mechanism of their activation. In the present study, we employed a new type of cell permeant reagent to detect activation of chymotrypsin-like proteases in human leukemic HL-60 cells induced to undergo apoptosis. The reagent, 5(6)-carboxyfluoresceinyl-L-phenylalanyl-chloromethyl ketone (FFCK), is a fluorochrome-labeled analog of N-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK), the inhibitor known to specifically and covalently bind to the active center of chymotrypsin-like enzymes. In cultures treated with the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor, camptothecin (CPT), or tumor necrosis factor (TNFalpha), populations of cells appeared that had the capability to bind FFCK. Most FFCK-binding cells were identified by fluorescence microscopy and laser scanning cytometry (LSC) as the cells undergoing apoptosis. Frequency of cells binding FFCK strongly correlated with frequency of cells having activated caspases (r=0.98 in CPT-treated, and r=0.99 in TNFalpha-treated cultures). The observed induction of FFCK binding we interpret as representing the activation of a chymotrypsin-like apoptotic Ser protease(s). Pretreatment of cells with the poly-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK, prevented the activation of these Ser protease(s). Pretreatment with TPCK, however, had a less pronounced, although distinct and reproducible suppressive effect, on caspase activation. The data, thus, suggest that activation of caspases is an upstream event required for activation of Ser protease(s). Activation of the latter, however, appears to additionally amplify, in a cascade-like mode, caspases activation. Differential color fluorochrome-labeling allowed us to discriminate, within the same cells, between the activation of active caspases and Ser protease(s). Despite a certain degree of co-localization, the inter- and intra-cellular pattern of caspase- vs. Ser-protease(s) was different. Our approach makes it possible to simultaneously monitor activation of caspases and Ser proteases in the same live cells that are induced to apoptosis.

Affinity Labels↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sequential activation of caspases and serine proteases (serpases) during apoptosis.

Analogous to caspases, serine (Ser) proteases are involved in protein degradation during apoptosis. It is unknown, however, whether Ser proteases are activated concurrently, sequentially, or as an alternative to the activation of caspases. Using fluorescent inhibitors of caspases (FLICA) and Ser proteases (FLISP), novel methods to detect activation of these enzymes in apoptotic cells, we demonstrate that two types of Ser protease sites become accessible to these inhibitors during apoptosis of HL-60 cells. The prior exposure to caspases inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK markedly diminished activation of both Ser protease sites. However, the unlabeled inhibitor of Ser-proteases TPCK had modest suppressive effect- while TICK had no effect- on the activation of caspases. Activation of caspases, thus, appears to be an upstream event and likely a prerequisite for activation of FLISP-reactive sites. Differential labeling with the red fluorescing sulforhodamine-tagged VAD-FMK and the green fluorescing FLISP allowed us to discriminate, within the same cell, between activation of caspases and Ser protease sites. Despite a certain degree of co-localization, the pattern of intracellular caspase- vs FLISP- reactive sites, was different. Also different were relative proportions of activated caspases vs Ser protease sites in individual cells. The observed induction of FLISP-binding sites we interpret as revealing activation of at least two different apoptotic Ser proteases; by analogy to caspases we denote them serpases. Their apparent molecular weight (62-65 kD) suggests that they are novel enzymes.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗